Bamboo in Ethiopia

Bamboo has a long history of practical use in the tropical,

subtropical, and mild temperate zones where it flourishes.
A supple and amazingly versatile material, this quick-
growing woody grass naturally lends itself to all manner of
construction, from baskets to hats to houses and almost
everything in between. Traditionally thought of as little
more than “poor man’s timber,” bamboo has in recent
years been tapped for use as a high-tech, industrial raw
material and a ready substitute for both soft and hard
wood. Although such commercialization of planted
bamboo has been slow in Ethiopia, there is now an
increased awareness of the multipurpose benefits of
bamboo, as well as its important role in the eradication of
poverty in the countryside, where job opportunities are
scarce.

African Bamboo PLC is a

forestry, wood, and bio-energy
company established and
based in Ethiopia. Though
Ethiopia has the largest
bamboo resources on the
continent, neither Ethiopia
nor Africa derives any real
economic value from these
vast bamboo resources.
We at African Bamboo
aim to change this
reality.

Ethiopia has 1 million hectares of bamboo forest,

comprising 78% of all bamboo in Africa
Unlike China or India, Ethiopia and Africa derives no real
economic value from bamboo resources
Bamboo is becoming popular as an excellent substitute
for wood not only in construction, but in producing pulp,
paper, boards and sustainable charcoal
The Team
Our international team currently consists of 50 young
professionals trained in industrial, civil, wood and chemical
engineering, sustainable forest management, supply chain
development, logistics, business planning, marketing and
finance. Hailing from Ethiopia, Germany, Belgium and The
Netherlands, the African Bamboo team is a colorful group
of specialists devoted to innovative, creative solutions. Our
team is also regularly augmented by expert consultants
from around the world.
A shared spirit of entrepreneurial ambition, cooperation,
enthusiasm, a sense of adventure and plenty of passion for
bamboo brought our unique team together in Addis
Ababa. The staff of African Bamboo shares a vision not
only confined to the growth of the company, it extends
outward towards the national development of an industrial
scale bamboo processing sector in Ethiopia.
African Bamboo was established in the Netherlands and
Ethiopia in March 2012 and is a subsidiary of Fortune
Enterprise PLC
African Bamboo was created to produce alternatives to
traditional hard woods used for construction
Hard wood forests are increasingly scarce in Ethiopia,
with an annual depletion rate of 140,000 hectares
The Products
Woven Strand Boards (WSB)
A new bamboo material made from thin twisted bamboo
fibers. These fibers are only cut lengthwise and cover the
full length of a panel, so it maintains its natural tensile
strength. Glue is added under high pressure in molds into
beams and/or panels. WSB has a very high density and
hardness, making it a suitable material for the most
demanding indoor and outdoor applications.
Bamboo Construction Poles
Ethiopia’s growing population (2.8% per year) has greatly
increased the need for affordable, decent housing. African
Bamboo’s eco-friendly response to this phenomenon is
graded bamboo culms. Once treated to prevent fungus,
mold, and premature deterioration due to weather, these
construction poles can be used on a wide range of
pusrposes, from housing, roofing, and furniture construc-
tion to bridge building.
Bamboo Charcoal Briquettes
Bamboo is an eco-friendly source of biomass energy due
to its short rotation, high yielding, high calorific value, and
reduced emissions when burned as fuel. Waste generated
both at African Bamboo’s factory and at natural forest sites
is reconstituted for use in the production of efficient and
clean bamboo charcoal briquettes. African Bamboo can
produce 3,000 tons of briquettes annually, which are then
sold to both the rural and urban domestic markets.
WSB panels are 2,400mm by 1,300mm with a thickness of
48mm and a density of 1,250kg/m³
African Bamboo’s team of experts are focusing on
eco-friendly construction, using available local materials
like bamboo and earth
Consumption of charcoal in Ethiopia is the highest in
Africa. In 2008, 3.6 million tons of charcoal were
produced, mostly from unsustainable sources
Impact and Capacity Building
Environmental Impact
Bamboo provides considerable environmental benefits.
Unlike trees, individual bamboo culms are connected
underneath the ground by a network of rhizomes out of
which the culms grow. The intricacy of these web-like
rhizomes makes bamboo forests unmatched in soil stabili-
zation and erosion prevention.
African Bamboo PLC has conducted a detailed environ-
mental impact assessment in order to ensure that the
ecological footprints of our factories are as limited as
possible. Our waste water is recycled, and the heat energy
needed for production is generated by bamboo saw dust,
coffee husks and pellets. This means that as we have
essentially replaced fossil fuel use in our factories.
Socio-economic Impact
African Bamboo PLC will directly employ about 1,000
people in panel and charcoal production as well as at its
nursery and afforestation sites. The project will guarantee a
market and the subsequent cash income to some 2,500
bamboo farmers that are included in the bamboo supply-
chain. Moreover, annually some 63,000 people will gain
access to clean, compact and eco-friendly bamboo
charcoal.
This project contributes to the long-awaited formalization
and professionalization of the bamboo value chain in
Ethiopia, transitioning the ubiquitous natural resource into
a cash crop and generating much needed foreign currency
through the export of value-added products.
Bamboo forests are unmatched in soil stabilization and
erosion prevention
The heat energy our factory requires is generated by
bamboo saw dust, coffee husks and pellets, essentially
elimating the need for fossil fuel in production
Our bamboo comes from private plantations established
on formerly degraded land and from rehabilitated
existing bamboo forests using an outgrower scheme